September 9, 2016

Help! I don't know what to do!

I'm struggling. I need your help with finding my direction. I left the Elementary Administrator meeting today a bit overwhelmed. Mostly, because I felt at a loss to combine the 'duties' of evaluation (and the documentation to support it) with what really works for teachers and has purpose for all of you.

Fortunately, the pendulum is swinging back to a more normal place around evaluation and the requirements around 'evidence' easing up. There is more freedom to meet the needs of the school and the teacher. Within InspirEd, I'll be uploading your formal observation cycle and rating that observation. Other 'evidence' can either be uploaded just as feedback with no rating, but serve the purpose of having some documentation...or it can be done in other ways...providing there is a system or rationale, of sorts, to support over-all evaluation ratings. A little blurry? Yeah, I think so to.

So...I think creating the 'system' or the approach to doing this is mine to frame. I need your individual input and help to do this. My mind has been frittering about all day thinking of all the ways this might be done. Maybe you have some ideas? Suggestions? Maybe you know what will definitely not work for you?!

Each of us is a different learner and value receiving feedback in different ways. Some of us might just want a conversation either in the moment or later; some of us like an informal sticky note with some 'noticing's and wondering's'; some of us like more formal written feedback; some of us like feedback rated; some of us shut down with ratings. Short periods of either scheduled or random informal observation work for some of us, others might prefer a whole morning or afternoon spent together. What works for you? How can I work with each of you to make this meaningful?

You might have noticed that I haven't been using my laptop when I visit your classrooms or during our team meetings. This was intentional to create a more informal, organic way of working together. I might have created a problem for myself, taking written- informal notes when it comes to documentation ... Not sure! 

I asked for your workshop times so I could put them on my calendar and make sure that my informal visits coincide with your min-lessons as we work together to strengthen our writing/reading instruction. Next on my list to see in action, will be our work with math. These informal observations allow me to see how things are going building wide, identify expertise to build internal leadership, identify professional development needs/trends, watch students 'in the work'...and it also fills my own bucket, as I love to be in the work with you. That's probably my greatest struggle with evaluation - I want to be in the work with you.

Bet this sounds all too familiar to you! I know that we all struggle to develop an effective system for both ourselves and for our students. How do we capture the work and the growth and progress monitor what is organically happening? I know I have long been the teacher who holds so much in their head - tries to be in the moment - present and engaged, rather than documenting. But that isn't going to satisfy the requirements of evaluation that I'm constrained with.

Help! Please respond to me either in email or in person and help me figure out how we work together on this. What will matter, inspire(?), help you grow, the most? I'm hoping with your input, I won't feel like I'm dangling out here on a limb.

And...while I'm gathering this feedback from you, I need some more! 

Celebration is so important. We have formal ways of celebrating as a community, such as The Beat. And we celebrate informally every single day by greeting students as they enter school and our classrooms. 

I know you are celebrating within your classrooms...probably daily! Celebrating during debrief after a days learning; after a Voyage. It's very organic and not about rewards and parties. It's about noticing the small steps, the small victories! I bet you are learning how each of the individual students in your classroom need to be recognized and celebrated!

Help me learn more about you.

How would you answer these three questions?

* I feel more motivated when I am recognized by...

* Meaningful forms of recognition for me include....

* The most memorable recognition (positive or negative) I've received was...

Just pop your responses in your feedback to me (either in email or in person) and I hope to do a better job as I know you better. I promise not to send you the quiz for the '5 Love Languages'! :)

Whew....sorry that was so long! 

Calendar

September 12 - 16th:

Monday:

Kenny's Crew leaves on Voyage

Brooks' Crew leaves on Voyage

Tuesday:

MTSS meeting

SAC meeting 5:30

REA meeting 7:00

Wednesday:

The Beat 9:15 a.m.

11:00 a.m. REA meeting

PD: Team planning

BLT meeting 1:15 p.m.

September 18 - 24th:

Monday:

Discovery 2/3 leaves on Voyage

Tuesday:

MTSS meeting 7:30 a.m.

Superintendent Erin Kane visits Renaissance @1:00 - 2:30 p.m.

Wednesday:

7:30 a.m. Lock Down Drill training with District Security

9:30 Lock Down Drill

PD: Mindfulness Session followed by team plan time

Thursday:

9:00 - 10:30 a.m. Danelle Hiatt, our school director, visits Renaissance (rescheduled from originally scheduled site visit the week before)

Friday:

No Students

Professional Development (details to come)

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Deborah